Five homes in central Emporia were evacuated Saturday evening following a significant gas leak.
The Emporia Fire Department and Kansas Gas responded to the leak in the 1100 block Neosho Street shortly after 5:30 pm. According to Battalion Chief Tony Fuller, a resident at 1124 Neosho was digging holes in the backyard for a new deck when he struck a gas line.
Fuller tells KVOE News the resident had called 811 to mark all utility lines before he began digging. However, the resident reported that the lines were incorrectly marked eight feet away from his dig site.
Emporia fire evacuated all occupants from the home at 1124 as well as four other neighboring residences for safety purposes. No injuries were reported.
Traffic was blocked for roughly two hours on Neosho as well as on West 12th Ave. from Neosho to State Street while crews were on scene.
